Cool Jobs: Céline Cousteau, World Explorer

Cool Jobs: Céline Cousteau, World Explorer

Courtesy of La Prairie The explorer diving in the Florida Keys.
Courtesy of La Prairie

Courtesy of La Prairie The explorer diving in the Florida Keys.

Courtesy of La Prairie

Advertisement

Advertisement

What does joining the family business mean when you’re a Cousteau?T+L catches up with one of the clan’s youngest members to find out.

Ever since she accompanied her grandfather, Jacques Cousteau, on an Amazonian expedition aboard the legendary Calypso at age 9, Céline Cousteau, now 36, has been committed to helping protect the planet’s natural resources: she hosts Discovery Channel and PBS documentaries about ecosystems at risk; has worked with the Nature Conservancy to document its environmental education program in China’s Yunnan Province; and has tracked the gray whale migration from Baja, California to Alaska with her father Jean-Michel’s conservation organization, Ocean Futures Society. “I’m always thinking of how best to deliver the message about preserving both endangered habitats and indigenous cultures,” the eco-advocate says. “I can’t exactly distill my profession into a few words. But I guess that’s my personality—my role varies depending on the need.” The beauty brand La Prairie recently tapped her expertise to develop its Advanced Marine Biology line, which incorporates sustainably harvested marine plant extracts. Her next adventure?In February, Cousteau will be leading a small group of travelers on an expedition around the Peruvian Amazon for luxury outfitter Butterfield & Robinson. “My goal is to give people the knowledge they need to protect what they love. We’re all part of the same equation—and we’re all caretakers of the future.”